Jane's mistake
by anotherndmfantasy
Summary: Jane makes a mistake on a case that can cost him everything: including his own life.
1. Get up, Jane

Watching Teresa Lisbon die was not my intention. Being here, in this cellar, was not my intention. Even this way of dying was not my intention. That's the whole problem; everything usually goes according to plan for me. I am never wrong. But this time, I was. I made a mistake that I might have to face up to for the rest of my life. Here I am facing another death of someone that I love with all my heart, dying because of my choices.

Life's a bitch, isn't it?

Monday

"Jane, get up. We have work to do." I groan as I look into a pair of steel green eyes.

"5 more minutes" I groan out as I turn over on the couch. I begin to drift back into nothingness once again when I feel my world toppling. Next thing I know, I'm on the hard floor, with the couch on top of me. I glance up to see the cold face of Cho.

"Time's up." He says with his normal cold demeanor. Rigsby chuckles in the corner, with Grace slapping at his arm. A pair of black loafers comes into view. Ah, Lisbon loafers. I tried to convince her to sell her own brand of those once. I look up into the green eyes that I saw moments before.

"Now, are you going to get up, or do I have to shoot you?" I raise my eyebrows, propping myself on my elbow.

"Now, Lisbon…" The sound of the safety coming off her gun made me stop in mid-sentence and jump to my feet. Not that she would actually shoot me, but better safe than sorry. I raise my arms in a surrendering stance, just to see that she turned back around and was halfway across the room to the elevators.

I jog across just in time to get into the elevator with her. The silence between us is an icy blanket, something I finally had to break. Just when I am about to speak, I hear Lisbon's voice.

"A 19 year old was found in a public park, a known street performing area." The elevators opened, with Cho and Rigsby waiting outside. Rigsby continues where Lisbon left off about the case.

"They are mostly singers singing on the platform until their big break. According to a lot of the street singers, she was one of the biggest threats. Not only that, but it was rumored that she was dating the well-known singer Jessie Colt."

I am actually aware of him. He started in his late teens, the new heartthrob of the teen generation. Jessie himself is actually twenty one, himself. The only reason I actually know of him is because I imagine that my daughter would have her room plastered with posters if she was still here.

"Well, this should be interesting case to say the least. To the victim's family now, I presume? Since you have already released the body?"

Lisbon gives me a glare. "Well, if you actually got up, you would have been able to view the body."

We are at the car now, with Lisbon walking to the driver's side. I notice that Cho is driving his personal car, with Grace and Rigsby in the other company car.

"So, can I drive?" I ask, already knowing the answer.

"Over my dead body, Jane."


	2. The meeting of the family

"Jane, must I go through our etiquette speech again with you, or will you behave?" I snort at Lisbon's tone.

"Lisbon, I always does what is necessary."

"What's necessary? Oh, well that's funny, because—"I cut her off.

"Don't I always get the guy? In all the time that you have worked with me, have I ever been wrong?" I smirk when I see her visibly hesitate.

"Well, no. But—"

"Ah, no buts." I say, smiling as we walk up to the door of the mansion.

"I wonder why the victim felt the need to perform on the streets if she lived like this." Lisbon muses out loud. I, of course, do have an answer. Just as I'm ready to tell her all the possibilities, the door opens to a dark headed, slender girl. About the age of eighteen or so, her height was about the height of Lisbon. She dresses casually, a pair of blue jeans and a tee shirt. Her dark eyes look up at us.

"You must be the agents. Come on in." She says in a solemn voice.

"Consultant, actually." I say with a smile. She gives a small smile back. Lisbon shoots me a look that obviously screams "don't start this crap."

"Ok then. Please come in agent and consultant." The humor in the girl's voice was unmistakable as she steps aside to let us through.

"Thank you." I say, as she closes the door behind us. We follow her into the dining room, where the mother and sister waited. Just like the victim, both the mother and the sister were blonde headed and blue eyed. Living in such a rich neighborhood, they were able to stay trim and fit, with expensive clothing on their backs. It's the type of clothing that you would see on a teen tv show. Lisbon, with her usual care, begins to speak.

"Ms. Fisher, I'm extremely sorry for you loss. I am agent Lisbon, and that is agent Jane. If you don't mind, we would like to ask you some questions about your daughter."

Ms. Fisher, apparently, looked up with her cold steel eyes.

"Yes, that would not be too much of a burden. Natasha, you can be dismissed."

The dark headed girl nods, and heads down the hall into a room with a large arch. My curiosity immediately spikes. I wonder what the situation is on that. I turn back my attention to Ms. Fisher, and her daughter as they begin to speak about their daughter.

"See, I knew that the street performing scum had finally got to her. I tried to tell her that it was no place for a girl her standing, but she wouldn't listen. Not to one word I said." Ms. Fisher is an interesting woman. She is unshaken really, talking about her daughter in a tone of scorn. There are many types of mourning, but this—this I haven't seen. At least, the scorn hasn't been directed towards the victim before.

"Do you know anyone who would want to hurt Alisha? Did she have any enemies?"

Ms. Fisher snorts. "Who isn't her enemy? Everyone below us is, and that's almost this whole area of people! Now, let me tell you about those weasels of performers— " I zone out of the conversation as I hear a gentle strum of guitar strings. I point down the hall to let Lisbon know where I was going, then swiftly go down the hall to the big wooden door with the big archway. I open the heavy door slowly, so to not startle the girl that entered just before hand.

I know that I will get more answers from her that I will from the two blondes that sit at that table. I slip inside, and gently close the door behind me. I didn't have to look long before I found the person that I was looking for.

"Mr. Jane, may I help you with something?"


	3. A talk with Natasha

"Natasha, right?" I turn towards the direction that I heard her voice. It took me a second to find her, up on a higher than eye level window seat, with a guitar placed against her shoulder.

"This is an odd place to practice playing the guitar, isn't it?" I ask her. I look around the room, which I quickly find that it's a library, and meet Natasha's eyes once again. She shrugs.

"May I?" I gesture with my hands to show that I want to come up. She raises an eyebrow, but slides towards the window, and bends her knees so that I have plenty of room. I climb up to the window seat, and sit facing her. Despite it looking like a small space, it's really not that bad. The view is magnificent, and you can see when someone comes in way before they see you. I see why she likes it here.

"The library is only used by me. Sandy and Michelle never really read, with the exception with tabloid magazines that Michelle reads. And this place is so big, the acoustics are great. You can hear yourself perfectly, knowing exactly when you're wrong." She smiles a bit, gesturing around the room as she speaks.

"Yeah, and the view is another bonus, wouldn't you say?" I ask. She just shakes her head.

"It usually doesn't matter to me who comes in and out. It's usually never for me, with a few exceptions." She shrugs her shoulders, as if it didn't matter to her that she doesn't get visitors. I know more than anyone how much loneliness hurts. For the first time in a while, I felt true sympathy. I clear my throat.

"So, what's the deal with you? It's obvious that you're not related to the two women at the dinner table, and yet you're not help either. You dress too casually for that."

She looks down at her clothes, as if she forgot that she was wearing jeans. " Sandy's husband was my uncle. Before he died, my parents both died in a car crash a few years back. Died on impact." She stops for a second before continuing. "Harold took me in. Right after he took me in, his long battle with cancer finally ended, and he died as well. Considering everything, Sandy obviously didn't want to continue to support me, but she didn't really have much choice considering that she had a "reputation to uphold"." Natasha air quotes the reputation to uphold part of her explanation.

"So, now Sandy makes you do all the chores that a maid would for repayment." I finish, nodding to myself. A modern Cinderella character, I must say.

She gives me a startled look, and then slowly nods. "I've been working and saving every penny to be able to support myself. I'm almost completely confident that I can make it on my own." Well, a Cinderella with a slight edge, refusing to be the damsel in distress. She reminds me of Lisbon.

I change subjects. "So, tell me about the affair between Alisha and Jessie." She holds back a snort.

"Non-existent. The only reason that Jessie would even approach a girl would be if they could do something for them. Alisha was beautiful, and she was rich. But Jessie needed neither, and that's all she could have offered him."

"Are you saying that Jessie doesn't date?" Natasha raises her eyebrows.

"What? I can't believe I'm telling you this, but Jessie's dad makes sure that he doesn't. It has to be all about his career, and show the media that he is a serious artist. For Jessie to be dating, or even having a social life at all, is unthinkable." I nod, my wheels starting to turn.

"You seem to know a lot about Jessie. Now, you don't seem to be the type to read the tabloids." Natasha stiffens up, and breaks her eye contact that she was holding during our conversation.

"Um, well…" The door opens to reveal Lisbon, looking a bit confused. I feel my disappointment rising, as my curiosity was not filled.

"Jane?"

"Up here!" I smile and wave as Lisbon glances up, covering her eyes when the direct sunlight hits them. She shakes her head.

"Playtime is over, time to go." I smile, realizing that the conversation with the family rubbed her the wrong way. I grin at Natasha, who is now looking a bit relieved. I jump down onto the boxes that got me up there in the first place, and jog to meet her.

"Have a nice chat?" I ask Lisbon when I catch up to her. She gives me her look, and just glares. I can't help but smile: it's a rarity that someone else had caused that mood to spring up in her. She huffs, and walks quickly down to the exit. If that was me, I would have been sprinting out of here.


	4. Team meeting

"Hey Lisbon! Did you know that Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez got back together?" I ask, scanning through a tabloid magazine. Lisbon pointy ignores me, and continues to quiz our team members about their part of the investigation. After the Fisher's, it was time to meet up with the rest of the team to find out if they found anything useful. To me, these meeting are slightly pointless, but to Lisbon it gives her the security she needs. So, I continue to flip through the tabloids, and half-heartedly listen.

"Rigsby and I went to the park, to try to find some of the local performers. We didn't get too much on the victim, mostly that she couldn't sing even if her life depended on it, and that she was sweet on Jessie Colt. On the performance rankings, she was near to the bottom." I perk up at the thought of a performance ranking among the performers.

"Can you happen to remember who the top performer on that list is?" I ask, making Cho look up from his notes.

"Someone by the name of Natasha, no last name."

"Huh." I simply state, nodding. "Of course Cinderella is the top performer. After all, Cinderella always burned the brightest in the ball." Cho just blinks at me, while everyone else gives me a confused stare.

"What does Cinderella have anything to do with this?" Lisbon asks. I just smile. She shakes her head. "You know what, I don't want to know." I shrug, my smile turning into a grin. Lisbon is always fun to pick on, just as long as she's not hurt or losing her job.

Rigsby begins to speak, picking up where Cho left off. "The street performers are having a big performance tomorrow. All of them will be there, which is about thirty people. Everyone knows each other by name, there seems to be no hard feelings on the rankings. Most are there just so that they can sing." I snort at that.

"Please, everyone wants to be the top dog. These guys are no different from any company or CEO." Rigsby raises his eyebrows, but doesn't say anything. He knows that the last person he wants to get into an argument with is a professional con. He's very well restrained, for such a hot head. Next to speak is Grace, who waited patiently for her turn.

"I did some digging on the family itself, turns out the mother just wrote up a will, and she made Alisha in charge of distributing the family riches. Not only that, but Alisha was also given more money than Cassy. I don't about you guys, but I'd be pretty upset about that if I was Cassy."

Lisbon nods. "Money is an extremely large motive. We'll make sure to talk to Cassy one on one. As for me, I went to talk to the Ms. Fisher and Cassy."

"So, let me guess the only thing you found out is that Ms. Fisher is a petty, bitter woman and her daughter is a spoiled, self-conceited brat" I say, flipping through my tabloid magazine. I'm not reading it just for kicks, just in case you got the wrong idea. But, with the help of Grace, I found every tabloid related to Jessie Colt. I, myself, find it extremely clever. Lisbon, however, just don't see my point unfortunately.

Lisbon rolls her eyes, while the rest of the gang look on expectantly. She looks at the rest of her team, and gives a sigh. "I got nothing from the mother and sister." I feel eyes turning on me, as flip through another page. I look up.

"So, what did you find out, Jane?" Lisbon asks. "You sure were in that library for quite some time." I consider sharing my information, but decide against it. I work better without Lisbon knowing everything. It keeps her out of trouble, at least.

"Oh, I got nothing, just some small talk with Ms. Fisher's niece. Nothing more than that." I say pleasantly, almost in a sing song voice. Lisbon stares at me for a second, before shrugging her shoulders and continuing with her meeting. I smile, and realize just how much I love that she gets me so well. Even if Lisbon won't admit it, she does trust me.

"So, for tomorrow someone will talk to Cassy, and we'll go to the performance tomorrow night to see if any of the other performers have a different take on Alisha that could tell us how many enemies that she really does have."

"Oh, and also go to Jessie Colt's house." Lisbon turns to look at me. When it comes to multimillion famous people, Lisbon wants nothing to do with them. In fact, she avoids it at all cost. Which is why I'm here of course: to force her to do something she thinks is unnecessary and prove that it was necessary.

She sighs. "Jane, is that really necessary?" I smirk, Lisbon will never change.

"Are you saying that visiting the alleged lover is not important? I mean, even if they weren't lovers, this picture is questionable at least." I show her my tabloid picture of Jessie Colt sneaking into the Fisher's mansion. Lisbon closes her eyes, and rubs them. When they open again, they are filled with determination.

"Jane and I will talk to the Colts as well tomorrow. You are all dismissed."


	5. Trouble at the golden gates

Tuesday

"So Jessie Colt is the new heartthrob huh?" Lisbon asks as we ride down towards the multimillion teen's home.

"Yes, apparently. Mentioning of heartthrobs, I'm sure that you had a few posters up when you were a teen." Lisbon smiles at my remark. She already knows that I'm baiting her.

"Yeah, I don't think so Jane. You have enough on me; I'm not giving you anymore things to torment me with." I grin.

"Come on, we both know that I'm going to figure it out. So, why don't you just tell me?" She grins and shakes her head. We continue down the road for some time in silence. Let's see, what would Lisbon listen to? Besides the Spice Girls, the whole team already knows that one. Hm, New Kids on the Block maybe? Not the number one heartthrobs, but teen idols just the same. She defiantly was a boy band listener. Just when I was about to guess, we pulled up to the golden gates of the Colts.

Lisbon pushes the button for the buzzer. A voice immediately starts talking.

"If this is the police, then I want absolutely nothing to do with you. Jessie was not involved with that Fisher girl in anyway. Leave the premises immediately." Lisbon rolls her eyes.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Colt, but I have to speak to Jessie himself before I can cross him off my list. If you don't let us in now, I'll just be back with a search warrant."

We hear Mr. Colt snort. "I'll be waiting." Lisbon sighs and looks at me.

"I guess we have to go get that warrant." I smile.

"Not so fast, let me speak." Lisbon looks at me, then gently presses the buzzer again. With the loud "What, your still there?" I began to work my magic.

"Mr. Colt, there has been some interesting pictures of your son. If you talk to us, we can release a statement that your son was not involved with Alisha in any way, and will give Jessie his spotless reputation back. Isn't that want you want?" There was a momentary pause, before we hear a buzz, and the gates swing open. Lisbon raises her eyebrow at me, and drives through.

"Well, this is going to be interesting." I state.

"The biggest understatement of the year." Lisbon replies, finally reaching the home and parking. I jog up to the door, and ring the doorbell. Lisbon takes her time getting to the door, as do the people inside the home. The door swings open, to reveal Jessie Colt himself on the other side. Dark hair that falls into his blue eyes, he was overall tan. Tall, and built as well, but not too built. It is extremely easy to see why he is a "heartthrob". He also gives a skaters vibe, although that is more of a hunch than anything.

That one move from Jessie told me a lot without even talking to him. Jessie Colt is very confrontational; he knows how to approach a situation when it works against him. He is smart, and extremely clever. He also is straight forward, wanting to get this interview over as quick as possible. I find myself smiling at the teen superstar; he's my kind of guy. If, I had a type of guy that I would befriend.

He opens the door wider, and gestures for us to go inside. This is going to be very interesting, very interesting indeed.


	6. More than meets the eye

Through many doors and halls later, we are seated in the spacious living room. I sit down on the very comfortable couch, slightly bouncing on it to test how good it really was. Lisbon gives me look, while Jessie just raises an eyebrow. I grin.

"It's very good quality. Maybe I should get me one of these." I say, making Lisbon rolls her eyes, and Jessie shake his head.

"You said that you had some questions for me about Alisha."

Lisbon leans forward, making sure to stay on the edge of the couch. "Yes, we do: Mostly about your relationship with her, and if you have any information about her." Jessie leans back in his chair, and visibly relaxes. He, in fact, seems extremely relieved. Of course, Lisbon wouldn't see that, only a con like me would.

"With the part about the relationship with Alisha, I barely knew her. Just another fan pretending to have what they really don't. Since I didn't know Alisha well, then I can honestly say that I don't know much."

"Are you sure you want to stick to that story, Jessie? Because the paparazzi had spotted you sneaking into the house, care to explain that?" Lisbon responded, knowing a lie when she hears one.

"With technology these days, it's amazing what you can photo shop in." Jessie shrugs as he says this. "It's not the first time it's happened before."

Well, he's right on that. The media is a tricky matter, might as well call yourself a con if you're in that business. Not many are truthful. Hm, speaking of truthful, I just may have the person that breaks this pampered teen.

"Natasha, she's a pretty truthful girl, right?" I say, making Lisbon glance over to me. Jessie shoots his gaze over to me, his hands tightening into the chair arm. Bingo.

"Natasha, their house keeper? Yeah, I suppose so. Why do you ask?" He asks. He didn't show his nervousness in his voice at all. In fact, I would believe him if I hadn't saw the hand movement. Yes, he defiantly knows her on a personal level somehow.

"Oh, no reason." I reply lazily as I glance at Lisbon. "I believe that we have no more questions, right Lisbon?" Lisbon gives me a nod and looks back at Jessie.

"We'll be in touch, Mr. Colt." Jessie gives her an odd look before nodding. At the age of twenty one, he probably has never heard someone call him that before. I smile at Lisbon's courtesy. She always makes sure to be extra polite when I'm too personal. It's why I like her though, we balance each other out.

We finally make it to the front door and exit the mansion. Lisbon glances at me as we walk side by side to the car. When we finally enter the car, she begins to speak.

"Well, what was that all about?" I smile.

"You'll see tonight, I'm sure." Lisbon gives me a curious look.

"How are you so sure?" She asks me, as she turns the key into the ignition.

I smile. "Do I have a reason not to be?"


	7. And here we go again

Lisbon's phone rings, and after a few moments I realize that it's Grace.

"Hold on, I'll put you on speaker." Lisbon said, allowing me to hear. From the tone in Lisbon's voice, it sounds like Grace has found something very profound.

"Ok, so get this. There was a transfer of money from Mr. Colt's bank account to Alisha's, half of a million dollars to be exact. A few days later, Alisha talked to the TMZ reporter about Jessie Colt. I'm not sure what she read, but rumors say that Mr. Colt was angry, really angry."

I quirk an eyebrow up at the news Grace had just given us. That must have been the last article, the one with the pictures of Jessie sneaking in the Fisher's home. This is father who does literally everything to isolate his son, bribes of one of the people who said they had contact with him. Not only did Alisha say that they were friends, but that they were lovers. And she had proof.

Lisbon looks over at me, seeming to know exactly what I'm thinking. Grace brings me back to the conversation at hand.

"Also, when you go to the performance tonight, wear somewhat dressy clothes. But don't go all out, you should be fine Jane. According to one of the performers, they won't talk to anyone looking like a cop. But they will tell you what you need to know if they think you're a talent recruiter."

"A good piece of advice, Grace. We will make sure to do that." I say into the phone's general area.

"Not a problem. Do you want to interview Colt, or should Cho?" She asks. Lisbon thinks for a bit. I cut into Lisbon's train of thought.

"We will, Grace. Just make sure everyone is wearing the right attire for tonight." She chuckles.

"Ok, if that's all right boss?" Grace asks, most likely already knowing the answer. Lisbon is the boss, with no doubts. But, she lets me take the lead. Which at times I'm not sure why she does. After all, I have gotten her into sticky situations before. Lisbon sighs.

"Yes, that's fine." Lisbon hangs up the phone after saying goodbye to Grace. She side glances at me as we continue driving, entering the interstate towards the Colt's mansion once again.

"It's not him, Jane." Lisbon states. "He may bring things over the top, but he wouldn't kill anyone. It would ruin Jessie's career even more than a fake relationship."

"I never said that it was him." I simply state. Truthfully, I won't know either, until I actually talk to the guy. But, I have a strong feeling about him. She sighs.

I smile at her. "Well, back to the Colt's! At least we won't have to fight to get in this time. Considering we just left." She snorts.

"If we get sued, it's on you." She says. I chuckle at the surprising humor.

"I'll take that."


	8. Buzzer, we meet again

Ah, buzzer. We meet again. I chuckle at myself, making Lisbon look over at me and roll her eyes.

"Jessie is not here." Mr. Colt proclaims over the intercom system. Huh, we weren't gone that long before we had to come back. But then again the festival starts in about an hour, if I'm right then it all makes sense.

"Actually we are here to speak with you Mr. Colt." Lisbon states, in her normal straight forward tone.

There is a pause before Mr. Colt answer. "Well, then speak. I have visitors, I cannot let you inside." Lisbon quickly looks at me. I shake my head.

"I doubt that you're going to get in. No leverage on him alone and he have to be in control at all times. If he's not, he takes extreme measures. For example, he doesn't like this image that this girl was giving his son. When he bribes her, she threatens to go to the media with it. Then, when all else fails, he kills her." I finish with a wave of my hand. Even though I made my case lightly, I mean every word.

"Lisbon, I don't even need to talk to this guy to tell you that he is the murder of Alisha Fisher." I say, looking directly in her eyes. She stares at me, and then shakes her head.

"Look, until we get something on him, we cannot just arrest him Jane." She says. I am about to rebut the statement when I realize that I don't even know how Alisha died.

"How did she die, anyway? Since I didn't get to look at the body, I'm not really up to par." Lisbon looks at me and sighs. Just when she is about to reply Mr. Colt's voice speaks over the intercom again.

"Hello? Will you just speak up already?" Lisbon quickly pushes the button to speak.

"We need to ask you about the half a million dollars that went from your bank account to Alisha's." We hear a snort later.

"Well, what the hell does it look like? I paid her off to stop talking to the media. Hadn't heard a word from her since." Lisbon shakes her head. I think she's finally coming around to my point of view.

"That's because two days after you paid her off, she was murdered. Also, a rumor around town says that she was going to tell all to any media station that would listen that Dan Colt bribed her to get her away from the one she loved."

There is a momentary pause before we hear Mr. Colt's voice again. "Let me tell you something agent, Jessie had nothing to do with that girl. Other than that, you're not getting another word out of me until you have a warrant for my arrest and my lawyer is by my side. And I promise you, that warrant will never appear."

Lisbon's eyes widens with shock. Most people are bold, but not bold enough to suggest that he will get out of a warrant. She doesn't reply, just puts the vehicle in reverse and drives towards the headquarters. We all agreed to drive separately to the party, so that each can get ready.

There's a pause in the car, and I begin to imagine steam coming out of Lisbon's ears. I sigh, and shake my head. I freeze suddenly realizing that I'm becoming more and more like Lisbon each day. Well, I guess there are worst people. Hoping to change my thoughts, I begin to speak.

"Well, at least we are now going to the fun part." I say cheerily. Lisbon glances over to me, or more like glares at me. I shut up and lean my head against the back of the seat. Maybe I can get a short nap in.


	9. Read like an open book

"Where's Cho?" I ask the team, as I meet them at the entrance to the park. I glance around to my teammates, seeing what they chose to wear. Rigsby wears a button down shirt, with black dress pants, and shiny black dress shoes. Grace chose a white dress that can be considered both casual and professional in my opinion. And Lisbon, being the tomboy that she is, wears black dress pants, a red shirt that shows just enough of her chest to be able to see her golden cross. Even though she looks like a princess when she wears dresses, this does look more like her. I just chose to take Grace's advice, and dress the way I always do. I have to be predictable is some way, now don't I?

"Cho decided to stay back in the office to do some research. He says that he had a feeling that the way Alicia was murdered was done before." Grace explained. I think for a moment, and then realize that I still do not know the cause of death. Rigsby must have caught a glimpse of my thoughts, because he answers my question.

"Alicia was injected directly into her blood stream a combination of poisons. According to Cho, the combination is really unique. It may give us insight into the case. "

I nod. "You're probably right about that. But, shall we go take our seats?" The park has lights strung through the trees, and tables lined up in front of a gazebo. The gazebo is set with sound system, and lights struck around as well, making it the stage. For just street performers, they did well doing what they could to set the mood. I wave my hand in front of the entrance, signaling that the ladies should go first. Grace looks back and smiles at me, before I fall into step behind them.

"Grace is looking beautiful tonight, isn't she?" I say to Rigsby, smiling a bit. He is probably the number one person that I really like to fluster. Rigsby, who was staring intensely at Grace, now glances at me. He doesn't say anything, but he doesn't have to. He turns red a bit, but looks ahead once again.

"So, what's with you and Lisbon?" Rigsby asks me. I almost stop walking, surprised that he had actually fired back with something. I glance at my boss and partner. If I had no first wife, if I had no Red John, there might have been something. But, because there is, I can't even possibly consider the idea.

"Nothing more than a friendship." I state, as we get to the table. Lisbon gives me a confused look, to which I just smile and shrug. I pull out Lisbon's chair for her, earning me a smile. I feel myself giving her one back, a true one. When she smiles, she is stunning.

I see Rigsby give a smirk, and for once he well deserved to. He read me like a book, and I didn't even realize how much I was showing.


	10. White dress

"Hey guys, and welcome to our annual performance where everyone and anyone can strut their stuff right up here on where I am talking now. My name is Natasha Way, and I'm your host for tonight. Lucky you!"

I hear chuckles go around the room as she speaks, she is obviously well liked. Despite being in the number one spot, there doesn't seem to be any hard feelings.

"Of course, you will hear me all night mostly talking. But I will open the acts for you guys, no one ever wants to be the first or last act. Normally, I would sing an original, but my new found friends Ms. Lisbon and Mr. Jane has reminded me of a song I haven't sung in a while. It's a song called white dress by parachute." Natasha threw me a wink, giving us the attention we needed, but without us actually have to attract it to ourselves. She grabs a guitar that is leaning against the railing, and puts it into position to play. At the very first notes, I found myself being hooked instantly. No wonder she is in the number one spot.

"She wears a white dress, she sees the light and it's saying 'come back'. She's out the door but she hasn't left yet. And you start believing her when she says that the city's gonna save her love. Don't leave her; you know just what she's looking for. Oh but all she knows is a picture that keeps fading on, But you can't let her go that's why you're telling her. I wanna love you more than all of the things you wanted, than all of the things you're not. You want to have it all. But you found it in the city. But the city doesn't talk."

With the first verse, I find myself looking at Grace and Rigsby, who both look a little red in the face. Natasha slowed down the normal medium pace sung, so many had begun to slow dance in the middle of the park. I smile at the very romantic gesture that Natasha did, that gave people some interaction. I stand up, stretching a hand down to Lisbon. She looks up, surprise written on her face.

"Come on, I know you want to." I say, grinning. Grace and Rigsby had already left for the makeshift dance floor. Lisbon reluctantly takes my hand, and we are pulled into the crowd of people dancing.

"She wears a gold cross. She sheds her skin but it never comes off. She hears the angels out on the streets. Tonight as she walks right by oh they sing so softly. They sing "oohh whooah, oohh whooah, oohh whooah, loves right behind you. And you're telling her I wanna love you more. Than all of the things you wanted, than all of the things you're not. You want to have it all. But you found it in the city,  
But the city doesn't talk."

I smile at the cross reference, surprised that Natasha knew that Lisbon wore one. By now, I was catching on that she did it just for who she thought were the "love birds" of the group. And honestly, she's right for the most part. Lisbon leans her head against my shoulder as I turn us. It's relaxing dancing with Lisbon, I can almost forget everything that has happened to me.

"Oh she floats off through a crowded room. She remembers the rows and rows of houses, and the street lights going on. That's why you're telling her I wanna love you more. Than all of the things you wanted, than all of the things you're not. And you want to have it all. But you found it in the city, but the city doesn't talk. I wanna love you more, than all of the things you wanted, than all of the things you've got. And you want to have it all. But you found it in the city, but the city doesn't talk. oohh whooah oohh whooah oohh whooah….Loves right behind you."

Natasha finishes off her solo, which is met with thunderous applause. Lisbon backs away from me when I don't back away first. I look into her beautiful eyes, and realize that I'm head over heels in love with this woman. We keep our eyes locked, and I see confusion in hers. I feel her searching my eyes for something, but I'm not sure what.

"Lisbon…" I trail off at her suddenly down cast eyes. She breaks away from my hold just in time for Rigsby to meet us.

"Hey, look who's here." I follow his gaze to see no other than the famous superstar Jessie Colt meet with Natasha and hug her. I smirk, shaking off the feelings I had moments ago. This is where the show really begins.


	11. She's no cinderella

"Mind if I sit?" I ask Jessie as I choose a chair from across from him. Natasha, who is still standing, pats him on the shoulder and walks to a group of people, playing the hostess. Jessie shakes his head.

"Feel free." He says casually, leaning back. He seems at ease, it's obvious that Natasha forewarned him of our presence. I smile, and glance over at Natasha.

"So, Alisha wasn't your Cinderella after all." I muse out loud, watching Jessie's expression. His eyes travel straight to Natasha, but he just shakes his head.

"You got some things wrong. One, I'm not dating anyone. And two, even though Natasha's family life resembles the Cinderella story, she's nothing like Cinderella. She works her butt off getting herself in a better place, instead of waiting for someone else to save her. Not only that, but Cinderella lied and pretended to be someone else. Natasha is the realist, most honest person I have ever met."

I chuckle. "You're in the entertainment business; of course she would be the most honest person you've met. I was once in that business, it's all smoke and mirrors." He sighs, but nods.

"True. Of course, as a fake physic, you would need a lot of smoke and mirrors. More than I will ever need." He replies back cockily, and obvious ready to battle. I put my hands up in a surrendering motion, before speaking again.

"Do you have feelings for her?" His eyes became downcast unable to meet my gaze. At that moment, I suddenly felt empathetic. I realize that we're in the same boat, in a way. Something in our lives is holding us back from being with someone we want to be with.

"Just one more question, did your dad go to medical school?" I ask. He looks back up at me, with a curious look.

"For a little bit, he dropped out after a few years. Said it wasn't for him." He says. I nod, and glance over at my colleges. I convinced them to stay where they were, that I could get him to talk more. I doubt that's the case, but I couldn't tease him about Natasha if they were over here. I stood up.

"Well, thanks for the chat. We need to run off now, paper work and such. But I see why people are drawn to this group, you guys are truly talented. Make sure you tell that to Natasha too." I begin to walk off, but I say one last thing over my shoulder before I leave.

"Don't let your chance of happiness slip away! Sometimes it's good to react based on feelings." I give a backwards wave before I finally reach my group. I fall into step with Lisbon as we walk back to our cars.

"Had a good chat?" She asks me, curiosity filling her expression. I smile, and look down at her.

"I would say so."


	12. Because she's you

Wednesday

"So, what's good Cho?" I ask him, as we all gather around him for his important information. Yes, I am paying attention to this one: Cho never requests a group meeting. So, he may have caught something that I haven't. It leaves me curious.

"I looked into previous cases with poison being inserted directly into the victim's vein, and also included the poison compound that the killer used. I came up with one serial murderer. His name was David Way, died in a car crash about four years ago with his wife. At least, that's what we're presuming. The heat from the car exploding would have left nothing but bone left, and the team over the case didn't really treat it with care. They had a daughter." He looks at me directly, and I have a feeling I know what he's going to say.

"Her name is Natasha Way, eighteen years old. Making her fourteen when her father died of a car explosion." Cho looks at me, waiting for me to speak. Smart man, he knows that I have a lot to say.

"What does that have anything to do with the murder of Alicia? So, someone used her father's poison, so what? He was a famous serial killer. Doesn't make her the killer." I state, having full faith in her. Lisbon gives me a strange look.

"The only ones that would know that poison would be David, the wife, or the daughter. He was extremely secretive. The only one living out of these three is the daughter, Jane. It at least makes her a suspect." Lisbon carefully explains. I shake my head, she's innocent. It's true that she didn't tell me the full truth, but she told me most. And that's good enough.

Lisbon audible sighs, before grabbing my arm and pulling me aside.

"Jane, why are you so attached to her?" She asks. I'm expecting frustration, but there is none from her. I look into her eyes, and see nothing but compassion. I search her eyes, something I find myself doing often recently. I drop my gaze, and take a step back.

"Because she's a gentler you."


	13. TMZ

"Jane, she is cunning and observant. She's like you." Lisbon says in her reasonable tone. I shake my head, as I feel anger building.

"No, she can be. But she is good, and honest. And she thinks of others before herself. That's all you." I shoot back. Lisbon shakes her head. She was about to speak when something on the TV catches my attention. It was a TMZ shot. I shoot past Lisbon, who is now looking confused. I grab the remote and turn it up.

"Jessie Colt was spotted late last night kissing a unknown girl, when his manager just stated that Jessie is dating no one. Care to comment?" I feel myself slightly smirk at the shot of Jessie grabbing Natasha by the waist to kiss her, but then my smile faded.

"If I'm right, then Natasha is in danger right now." I state. "She's not going to take any money from him, and she won't lie if someone asks her about it."

"And if the evidence is right? Jane, what are you going to do then?" Lisbon asks, now standing beside me. I glance at her.

"You're not going to protect her?" The question came out as more of a statement. Lisbon looks up at me, pleading with her eyes. I just shake my head. I grab my jacket and head out.

"Jane, where are you going? It's not safe to go by yourself! It would be a mistake to chase off after Colt within a few hours, we have to wait for him to calm down. Jane, Please listen." I keep walking, and didn't look back. I only turned around when the elevator's doors were closed.

To be honest, I feel shattered. This is one case where the team disagrees with me. The first time Lisbon disagreed fully. I hang my head, but remember that I still had a case to solve.

But, I soon found out, that I should have listened to Lisbon and waited. When I let my emotions get the better of me, is when I made my greatest mistake yet.


	14. Lights out

I pulled up to the Fisher's house, to make sure Natasha is ok first. I jog up to the door, to find it open. I'm filled with panic, before I open the door. When I open the door, two dark eyes stares back at me, with a gun raised to my chest. But, it wasn't the eyes I was looking for. Even though they have great similarities, they are hardly the same person.

Standing at six feet tall, David Way had obviously given his daughter her looks. His dark curly hair and his brown eyes were identical to hers. He had a tanned skin, making him look even more menacing than he already is holding the gun. I raise my hands up in surrender, noting that this is the third time I have done this in three days.

"I have no gun. I'm no threat to you." I state. I hear my phone go off in my pocket. I glance at Mr. Way, seeing what his next move was.

"Give me your phone. Now." He stated, obviously not a man of words. I nod, and slowly grab and pull out my phone from my pocket. Seeing that it is Lisbon, I hesitate in giving it to him. He glares at me.

"Your daughter is a suspect of a murder you committed. Can I answer this phone and clear her name?" I ask. He looks down at me, but nods.

"Make it quick."

I hurry and flip open my phone. I instantly hear Lisbon's concerned voice. "Jane, what the hell were you thinking?" I begin to speak before she goes on a rant about how irresponsible I am.

"Lisbon, listen. David Way is not dead." I state, trying to get in as little words as possible that would create the biggest meanings. She goes silent, and then finally speaks.

"How do you know?"

I snort, making Way glare at me once again. "Because I'm looking at him. You know where to find me. Gotta go." I say quickly, shutting my phone and handing it to Way. He drops the phone and smashes it. My phone is now looking like little electronic crumbs.

"Lights out. Have a good sleep." Before I could comprehend what he just said, I feel the butt of the gun connect with my head, bringing me straight into darkness.


	15. a connection

Thursday

My head hurts. I try to lift my hand to my head, just to drop it again. It feels heavy, and my whole body feels drowsy. I can hear Mr. Way coming down the stairs. I groan slightly at the loudness of his footsteps, the noise making my head throb harder.

"Sleeping beauty is finally awake, I see." His voice is deep, something I didn't notice before. I know that I will remember this man for the rest of my life, for that one statement. I glance up, before I give up meeting his eyes and drop my head down again. My gaze falls to my arm, realizing now why I can barely move.

The needle mark in my arm told everything that I needed to know. Since I'm not dead, he didn't give something that would kill me right off. Or, he didn't give me the amount that it would be deadly: one of the two. But, I know one fact, that he wants me alive. At least, for the time being. I must have a look of horror on my face, because Way starts to laugh.

"She'll catch you, you know. You won't win." I find myself telling him. He glances at me, his laughter slowing to a chuckle now. I find myself glaring at him; I find my control slowly slipping.

"If you don't let me go, they will give you a hefty sentence. If you leave now, and let me go, they won't catch you. How can they catch a dead man?" I say, realizing that I am slightly slurring. He shakes his head, and sits down in a chair across from me. I'm on the floor, with my back against the cold stone wall. Wait, cold. We must be down in a basement. I slowly realize that it's a wine cellar.

"Mr. Jane, I'm not even holding you down. Tell me, how will you survive on your own until I give you an antidote?" I shift my heavy eyes down to my arms and legs. He is right; I'm screwed without that antidote. But that doesn't mean that I have to get it from him.

As if he is reading my mind, Way speaks once more. "Natasha is in protective custody as of this moment. Good luck with her being your savior." Lisbon listened to me. Even though she wasn't sure herself, she listened. That thought has made me way to happy. I see Way narrow his eyes, and shake his head. He rumbles back upstairs, the steps creaking.

I sigh and let my head fall back. This, I had not planned for. I let myself rush in, didn't even consider the possibility of an angry father who wanted to get revenge on someone who was mistreating his daughter. The creepy thing about all this, though, is not the spying. It's a big city. What bugs me is how the hell does he know me so well?

I hear a faint footsteps coming in my direction. I open my eyes, not realizing that I closed them. I feel a prick in my arm, as I glance up. Long dark hair and eyes meet my gaze.

"How did you get away from our team?" I ask Natasha, who is carefully injecting the antidote into my veins. I feel my slight smirk as she finishes, and slowly takes the needle out. She shrugs.

"I convinced Cho that knew where you were. Lisbon's shift is up next, though. I should hurry." She states.

"The library, it's connected to this cellar, isn't it? That's how you got in." She nods very solemnly. She reaches for my hand, and squeezes it. Silently, she stands and cocks her head to the side to make sure that Way wasn't coming down the steps. She nods to herself.

"Give it a few hours; you'll be able to move then." I close my eyes, feeling very sleepy. I feel darkness consume me again, but this time it is a good kind.

And for the first time in a while, I dream of a future that I could have.


	16. Mishaps

Saturday

I force my eye lids open, looking around the cold cellar. I raise my arm experimentally, it feels as light as it's supposed to. I smile, relieved. Truthfully, Immobilization scares the shit out of me.

I rise up from the wall, stretching as I went. I sigh, and pace a bit. I know that I have to find a door from the cellar to the library. Only, it's obviously hidden. I shake my head, before scoping the place out. And this is the weekend, too. I have never spent my weekend like this. Not that I actually do anything on the weekend anyhow.

I run my fingers across the walls, until I see a wine bottle sticking slightly out. I nod, and gently pull down on the makeshift lever. It's supposed to be hidden a bit more, but Natasha must have left it slightly ajar. And just like something off Scooby doo, the door swings open to staircase up. I begin to climb, pausing every so often to check that Way isn't climbing down the other set of steps.

Finally, I reach the top of the winding staircase, I find myself in a hidden hallway. Maybe I should be looking for clues on solving the mystery…. Anyway, the audio is perfect. I can hear everything. But, the strange thing is, it's silent. No TV on and no kids outside playing. Something is terribly wrong. I think back to my dream, and panic overtakes me.

I dreamed of Lisbon rescuing me, as she always does. Her yelling CBI, and then a gunshot rang out. But, I didn't see anything; I was in the cellar, still waiting. Waiting for someone to seal my destiny. But, I never got to see it; I must have waked up before Lisbon found me.

Or it was because no one did find me. I have a sinking feeling that was no dream. That I heard an actual event, and wrote it off as nothing but fantasy. My hands shake as I trace the wall down to the end of the hallway, mostly just in case my legs gave out.

The door for the library looms in front of me, and I shakily open the door. The sound of a gun reloading made me cringe. I look up at the looming figure of Way, and just grit my teeth. No wonder this guy has never been caught. He's not your typical criminal.

Out of the corner of my eye, I see everything that I have been dreading. Teresa Lisbon, white faced and nearly unconscious, paints everything red. I feel myself loosing grip, before shaking myself back into Jane. The person that is cold, careless, thoughtless that cares of nothing but the murder of Red John.

Too bad it's not that easy anymore. Jane may be like that, but Patrick isn't. No, Patrick was a mourning father and husband, who desperately want the comfort of Teresa Lisbon. I keep my hands up, and slowly move around Way to sit by Teresa, who is actually worse than I thought. I grasp her hand, and hold it in between both of mine to stop myself from shaking.

Lisbon is always there for me, there's no way in hell I'm going to let her die.


	17. My world slowing

I feel my world slow down every time Lisbon's breathing slows. I find myself holding my breath, praying to a god that I don't even believe in. I silently pray that I'll go to church if he saves her. I don't say that'll change my ways, I certainly won't do that. But, I hear that God is forgiving, and if there is a god, that he already knows that I'll be the way that I am for as long as I live.

Lisbon weakly explains as best as she can about the CBI blocking off this whole neighborhood, evacuating every home near here. With the help of the FBI, and local police, they have evacuated the road quickly. They had done it so quickly, that Way couldn't escape. My team members are brilliant.

"I'll be ok." Lisbon states this as she watches my eyes. "And if I'm not, you'll be ok without me." I silently stay silent through all of this, which is very uncharacteristic of me. For once, though, I'm overwhelmed. I have a lot to say normally, because I know exactly what happened. I'm detached from it all, watching as it all falls into play exactly how I needed it to. This isn't one of those cases. I'm attached to Lisbon, and to the rest of the team. I personally got involved with the case, and it made my judgment poor.

"You can't die; there are too many people that care about you, that need you. The team needs you, I need you Lisbon." I hear Cho shout orders, the busting down of the door, and the ultimate shot that lead to the death of David Way. But none of it registered, as I see Lisbon's eyes flutter shut, her body falling into sleep. I find tears falling, and the world trembling around me. Then I realize that I'm the one crying, the one falling apart as Cho takes charge of the crime scene. I lean down and kiss her on the forehead.

"You can't die: I love you. Please don't die Teresa." My suit is covered with her blood, but I don't care. I feel someone's hand on my shoulder, and then under my arms, hoisting me up. Cho and Rigsby stand beside me, each holding me in place while EMT's take Lisbon and load her into the ambulance. I find myself breaking the embrace, and running just in time for the ambulance to turn on its lights and scream down the street.

I look on, numb by everything going on around me. I hear Grace talking beside me, gently taking my arm and leading me back to the car. I begin to get a grip on myself when I see Cho's concerned expression. If it was Rigsby I would have continued acting the way that I was. But Cho showing visible emotion at all makes me realize how much of a mess I must be. I find myself giving him a small smile, a thumb up. Cho nods slowly.

"She'll be ok." I find myself saying. Cho approaches the vehicle, and slides into the driver's seat. I grab the passenger door and quickly sit myself down in it. Cho gives me a side glance, and shakes his head.

"You should go home, get some sleep. Lisbon's progress will happen if you are there or not." His face is now expressionless, but I know that he is full of concern and compassion. I just shake my head.

"But, you're not going home, now are you?" I simply ask the straight arrow of our team. He sighs and starts up the car.

"There are some extra clothes in the back, both for me and Rigsby. Go through them; pick out something that will fit you. You're not going into a hospital like that. They'll make you change into scrubs." I find myself smiling a real smile, and unbuckle my seatbelt to lean in the back to find clothes.

Jeans and t-shirts are a foreign concept to me recently, but I pick out the sizes that would fit me. A pair of Rigsby's pants, and Cho's shirt, at least that's my guess. When we get to the hospital, I quickly change in the emergency's restroom, while Cho waits patiently for me right outside. The jeans are a little long, a little loose.

" Ready?" Cho asks.

"As ready as I'm going to be." But my clothes are the last thing I'm concerned about.


	18. Late nights

Sunday

I sit on the edge of Lisbon's bed, watch her chest rise and fall with each breath. I snuck in after visiting hours are over, and the night shift doesn't really care about me. They just give me sympathetic glances and work around me at 2 in the morning. They give me looks that send shivers down my back, ones that are so grave that they beat the grim reaper's normal expression.

I still wear the jeans and t-shirt, feeling way out of my comfort zone. I can't go home though, my home is the office. It's an empty space without Lisbon working overtime. I stroke her hand as she sleeps, silently praying to a god that I don't believe in that she'll wake up soon and scold me.

Even though she hasn't been in the hospital long, both Natasha and Jessie showed up with flowers to put at her bedside. Natasha gave me a small smile before she left; her small tool of encouragement. Grace, Rigsby, and Cho have all been here as well, each prompting me to go home for a while. Even though Grace's pleading and Rigsby's demanding did nothing to convince me, Cho just simply stated then shrugged. He, out of everyone, was the quickest to accept that I will not listen to anyone but Lisbon right now. He shrugs, because he is here almost as much as I am. Neither one of us is good at taking advice, apparently.

Lisbon's eyes flutters, making my heart leap. I squeeze her hand, to feel a gentle squeeze back. She opens her eyes, and her eyebrows scrunch up in confusion.

"Jane?" I smile.

"Lisbon, it's so good to hear your voice." I reply. She chuckles.

"I never thought that I would see the day where Jane looks like a normal human being." I shake my head and laugh.

"Being normal is overrated anyways."

She smiles, before going into quiet thought. " Way" she states, obviously asking for an update.

"Dead as a door nail." I reply back, trying to lighten up the mood. She sighs, and slides into her pillows.

"It wasn't supposed to go like that. Anyone else hurt?"

"No, just the bastard that deserved it. Lisbon, get some rest, you're ill."

I tuck her in like a child, and kiss her forehead. I hear her sigh again, before drifting off into sleep. I smile at her relaxed form, and settle into a chair next to her. I know that I will not be sleeping tonight. I suddenly hear her murmur.

"I told you not to go alone." I sighed.

"I should have listened." I whisper. I try to get comfortable in my chair when I hear something else.

"Jane?"

"Hm?" I ask, realizing how drowsy I sound.

"I love you too." I feel my eyes widen, and I'm very glad that the room is dark. Her breathing finally slows down once again into slumber, as I sit and think. I glance over to her, smiling slightly.

"Sweet dreams."


	19. More than Words

Friday

"So, now what?" Lisbon asks me, as we walk down the street. She's referring to our relationship, for which I don't have a clue. I smile anyways, and just shake my head.

"In all due time, Teresa." I feel a bit odd calling her by her first name, but we both seem to like it much better. It's less formal, and we're anything but formal.

After she got out of the hospital, I promptly took her to her home to get cleaned up and a change of clothes. She's still not allowed to drive, which frustrates her immensely. However, I celebrate my newfound freedom of driving by speeding as much as possible, to Teresa's dismay. How can a cop not like speeding?

After that, we sat on the balcony of a restaurant, sharing ice cream and talking about the future. Well, more like stumbling, for neither one of us seem to know what we really want. Yes, I want Teresa, but it's not that simple. Not in my case. Now, I'm taking her to the park, not that she knows that. I have a surprise for her.

I lead her to a simple round table, nicely covered with a table cloth near the gazebo. On the table is two wine glasses, with a bottle of wine in ice. I grin, knowing that they took my suggestion seriously. It is getting dark, which is the time I needed. Teresa is looking around suspiciously, and I just smile. I reach behind me and flip on a switch that revealed threads of lights all around in the trees and wound around the gazebo. Her eye's brightened up a bit at this, and I imagine mine did as well. It really is a beautiful sight.

I fill up two wine glasses, and give one to Teresa. She smiles, and we clink our glasses together. The soft strumming of guitars became apparent, as the voice of Jessie Colt comes through a microphone.

"Ms. Lisbon, I don't get to just sing very often, so let me just say how honored that I was to be asked to help with this amazing scene. You truly have a man that loves you deeply, and this song is for you. According to Mr. Jane, you know it very well. I hope I sing it well."

"Saying I love you

Is not the words I want to hear from you

It's not that I want you not to say it

But if you only knew."

Teresa smile s at the old tune, realizing immediately what my intention is.

"You used to love this song, remember?" I say teasingly. I stand, and hold my hand out for her to take. She rolls her eyes, and allows me to pull her in the middle of the gazebo. It was our first dance, and it's the reason I chose it. I knew, even then, that I was falling for her. It was just a matter of time before I finally couldn't hold it in any longer.

"How easy it would be to show me how you feel  
More than words is all you have to do to make it real  
Then you wouldn't have to say that you love me, yeah  
'Cos I'd already know"

I pull her in close, needing to feel her heartbeat against my chest. Needing to know that this is real, and not some beautiful dream. She snuggles into my shoulder, and I feel her sigh. I close my eyes and breath in, not knowing where this may lead. I know that I want to enjoy this moment, though.

"What would you do if my heart was torn in two?  
More than words to show you feel  
That your love for me is real  
What would you say if I took those words away?  
Then you couldn't make things new  
Just by saying,I love you?"

My heart was torn in two, before I met Teresa. Even then, it was a slow healing process. A process that may never be complete, but I know that I may be closer than ever of feeling normal again.

"Now that I've tried to  
Talk to you and make you understand  
All you have to do is close your eyes  
And just reach out your hand and touch me  
Hold me close don't ever let me go"

I feel Teresa grip on me tighten a bit, as mine did on her. I didn't' want this moment to end. But, the song is slowly coming to an end, and it went by way too quickly. I gently pull back, and move my hand to cup Teresa's face. Her face leaned into my hand, as she rose up as I came down. Finally, I am able to do what I have been wanting to since I started working for her, I kissed her.

"More than words is all I ever needed you to show  
Then you wouldn't have to say that you love me, yeah

'Cos I'd already know  
Saying I love you  
Saying I love you  
More than words"

We pull away gently, as I put my forehead against hers. I don't open my eyes, taking all that I can from that one moment. I can't let her go.

"Be mine, Teresa. I promise that I will protect you the best I can." I open my eyes to see a small smile on her face.

" Yes, I will." I smile, relived that it was that easy. "But, you can keep your protection; I'm better off protecting myself." I snort at that, knowing that it's probably true. I can't help but grin though, loving how she can protect herself.

She shakes her head, before putting both hands on my shoulder to rise up and kiss me. I swoop down to meet her, knowing that everything will be just fine. It's how it's supposed to be.


End file.
